Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) Student – School Nursing

SO1, scp 23 £39,519 per annum

Are you passionate about:

Improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people?
Early intervention, prevention and reducing health inequalities?
Supporting vulnerable children, young people and families?
Developing your career in public health nursing and becoming a qualified School Nurse?
Working collaboratively with schools, communities and partner agencies?

About the Role

Newham is an incredibly diverse borough with a very young population and continues to experience significant regeneration as part of the Olympic legacy. With over 86,000 children and young people living in Newham, our ambition is to ensure every child and young person has the same opportunities and life chances as those living elsewhere in London.

Newham has delivered an integrated 0–19 health and social care service since 2017, with the Children’s Health Service delivering the Healthy Child Programme (0–19). Our Children’s Health 0–19 Service was inspected by the CQC in 2021 and rated Good in all areas.

We are offering an exciting opportunity for qualified Nurses to undertake the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) School Nursing qualification at Level 7.

The SCPHN Student post is a developmental role, building on your existing professional knowledge, skills and experience to enable you to become a qualified Specialist Community Public Health Nurse – School Nurse.

You will combine academic study with supervised clinical practice, developing the knowledge, skills, professional judgement and leadership capabilities required to meet the NMC standards of proficiency for SCPHN registration.

Your Training and Development

During the training year, you will undertake an NMC-approved postgraduate SCPHN School Nursing programme, combining academic study with supervised practice across Newham.

You will be supported by experienced Practice Assessors and Practice Supervisors and will be expected to:

Engage fully with academic study and supervised practice placements.
Attend all required university study days and practice placement hours.
Complete academic assessments including assignments, presentations, critical reflection, case studies and public health/project work where required.
Develop and demonstrate the competencies required to meet NMC SCPHN standards.
Maintain high standards of professionalism, punctuality and reliability.
Work in accordance with the NMC Code, university requirements and organisational policies and procedures.

Successful completion will lead to an academic SCPHN qualification and eligibility to register/record the relevant SCPHN School Nursing qualification with the NMC.

What You Will Do

As an SCPHN School Nursing Student, you will develop your practice across four broad areas:

Clinical Practice | Community Engagement | Practice Development | Leadership

Working under appropriate supervision, you will:

Contribute to the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme and School Nursing service.
Undertake holistic health needs assessments and contribute to care planning for children and young people.
Deliver public health interventions supporting areas such as healthy weight, emotional wellbeing and behaviour.
Develop skills in caseload management, clinical decision-making and leadership.
Work with schools, children, young people, families and partner agencies.
Identify health inequalities and contribute to interventions for children, young people and families with the greatest levels of need.
Develop your safeguarding knowledge and ability to recognise, respond to and escalate concerns appropriately.
Participate in multi-agency and multidisciplinary working.
Contribute to quality improvement, audit and service development.
Develop your understanding of national, regional and local public health policies and their application to School Nursing practice.
Promote equality, diversity and inclusion throughout your practice.

Working in Newham

Students will gain experience across schools and community settings within Newham's four localities and eight teams.

Newham's diversity means you will develop valuable experience of delivering culturally sensitive, non-judgemental care and working with children and families from a wide range of backgrounds.

You will develop your understanding of how the wider and social determinants of health, including housing, poverty, migration and trauma, can affect children, young people and families.

You will also develop skills in communicating effectively with families who may require interpreter support and working collaboratively across organisational and professional boundaries.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding children and young people is central to School Nursing practice.

Throughout the programme you will develop your ability to:

Recognise signs of abuse, neglect and vulnerability.
Understand and apply child protection and safeguarding frameworks.
Identify and appropriately escalate safeguarding concerns under supervision.
Work collaboratively with partner agencies.
Understand pathways supporting vulnerable children and families.
Participate in safeguarding training, supervision and reflective practice.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated practitioners who can demonstrate:

A genuine passion for improving outcomes for children, young people and families.
A commitment to early intervention, prevention and reducing health inequalities.
An understanding of the School Nursing role and the Healthy Child Programme.
An understanding of safeguarding and child protection.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
The academic ability and commitment required to successfully complete a demanding postgraduate programme alongside clinical practice.
Emotional resilience, reflective practice and sound decision-making.
An ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary and multi-agency environments.
Cultural sensitivity and a commitment to inclusive and non-judgemental practice.
Leadership potential and enthusiasm for continued professional development.

Essential Qualifications and Experience

You will need:

Current NMC registration as a Nurse or Midwife.
A Level 6 qualification at 2:2 or above.
The required level of literacy and numeracy for admission to the programme.
A minimum of two years' experience as a qualified Nurse or Midwife.
Experience of multi-agency and multidisciplinary working.
Experience of working directly with children and families.
Experience of safeguarding/child protection.
Experience of contributing to complex packages of care and inter-agency working.
Experience of teaching, supporting or assessing students/staff.
The ability to recognise and demonstrate high-quality professional practice.

What You Will Gain

This is an excellent opportunity to develop a career within public health and School Nursing. You will benefit from:

Sponsorship towards a Level 7 SCPHN School Nursing qualification.
A structured combination of postgraduate academic study and clinical practice.
Clinical learning supported by experienced Practice Assessors and Practice Supervisors.
Experience within a diverse and progressive 0–19 Children’s Health Service.
Development in public health practice, leadership, safeguarding and community engagement.
Opportunities to undertake quality improvement and service development.
Access to continued professional development and career progression opportunities following successful qualification.

Why Join Us?

Newham is a diverse borough with a young population, and the School Health service provides an opportunity to make a meaningful difference to children and young people across local communities.

Our existing School Nurse advert describes a service focused on addressing the health needs of children, young people and families, reducing health inequalities and delivering the Healthy Child Programme. It also highlights supportive leadership, employee wellbeing, development opportunities and the Council's HEART values of Honesty, Equality, Ambition, Respect and Together.

As an SCPHN Student, you will have the opportunity to learn within this environment while developing the specialist competencies required for future School Nursing practice.

Please view JD here

closing date: 25th October 2026

Additional Information

We are committed to creating an inclusive, anti-racist environment for all. When you apply for a job at Newham, your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or sexual orientation. If you share our vision and values, and you bring the experience and skills we need, that’s all that matters to us.

The London Borough of Newham has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you are appointed to a job that involves working with these groups, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Please attach your supporting statement, explaining in no more than x2 A4 sides why and how you meet the criteria for this role.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.